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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bass — low music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — the season
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. capital — a city
  12. key — for a lock
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — the fish
  16. object — a thing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — an aim
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com